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Monthly Archives March 2010

Columbia Silkmoth

Is it a butterfly or a moth?
March 22, 2010
We found this insect on our porch and was wondering if it was a butterfly or moth? And what type is it?
Curious in AZ
Arizona

columbia silkmoth arizona 300x229 Columbia Silkmoth

Columbia Silkmoth

Dear Curious,
We suspect that the people who are writing in from California insisting that they have seen a Cecropia Moth are in fact encountering either your moth, the Columbia Silkmoth, Hyalophora columbia, or the Ceanothus Silkmoth, which are in the same genus.  You may see additional photos of the Columbia Silkmoth on BugGuide which indicates:  “Glover’s Silkmoth (H. c. gloveri) was formerly considered a separate species.”

columbia silkmoth arizona 2 300x203 Columbia Silkmoth

Columbia Silkmoth

Posted 22 March 2010 § Giant Silk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Lacewing Larva

Walking Lichen? Brown Lacewing Larva?
March 21, 2010
March 21, 2010 at Winterthur Museum in Wilmington., DE. A approximate 3/8″ piece of lichen was walking on a 5/8″ wroungt iron railing. Brown Lacewing Larva? Please use image for the site if helpful.
Sober, really, Joe
Wilmington, DE

lacewing larva joe 2 300x254 Lacewing Larva

Brown Lacewing Larva

Dear Sober Joe,
You are not seeing pink elephants nor walking lichen, but a Camouflaged Brown Lacewing Larva as you speculated.  We are posting your photo.

Posted 22 March 2010 § Neuropterans: Lacewings, Antlions, and Owlflies ‡ Comments (0) °

Luna Moth

Strange green moth
March 21, 2010
My boyfriend found this strange green moth on his patio screen. Neither of us have seen a moth like this before. We live in Jacksonville, Florida and this past weekend had really warm temperatures.
Sarah
Jacksonville, FL

luna sarah 254x300 Luna Moth

Luna Moth

Hi Sarah,
Just two days ago we posted our first Luna Moth image of the year from Texas.  Your photo is the second for the year of this lovely moth.

Posted 21 March 2010 § Luna Moth - Rare Specimen ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Winter Stonefly or Snowfly

Late winter bug… another snowfly?
March 21, 2010
Hello! This photo was taken today (21 Mar 10) inside my house. We are right above the Petawawa River. These bugs take over the outside of my house around this time each year, covering the front and back doors, and eventually make their way inside. The one photographed is only about 1 cm long, but the fully grown ones are brown and can be about 3 cm (1″) long with wings on their backs. The small ones don’t really fly (“fall with style” maybe) but the bigger ones flutter around a little bit.
Thank you so much! My neighbour and I have been going crazy trying to figure out who these visitors are each year.
J. Ross
Petawawa, Ontario

snowfly ross 300x205 Winter Stonefly or Snowfly

Snowfly

Hi J,
Thanks for sending in another photo of our Bug of the Month for March, the Winter Stonefly or Snowfly.

Posted 21 March 2010 § Stoneflies and Snowflies ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged:

Giant Mesquite Bug Nymphs from Mexico

A Strange and colourful beetle – What is it??
March 21, 2010
I found this cluster of beetles in Cancun Mexico this past week. I found them in the late morning, and I would have been scared by their size (about as long as my thumb) if they weren’t so beautiful! I’d love to know what they are and any extra information about them!
Bekki
Cancun, Mexico

thasus mexico bekki 300x227 Giant Mesquite Bug Nymphs from Mexico

Giant Mesquite Bug Nymphs

Hi Bekki,
This is not a beetle, but rather a true bug in a different order.  These are immature Giant Mesquite Bug in the genus Thasus, but we are not certain if it is a different species, or a subspecies, or merely a color variation of Thasus neocalifornicus, a species found in Arizona and California that is represented on BugGuide.  We suspect it is either Thasus acutangulus or Thasus gigas, both of which are found in Mexico.  A Threatened Edible Insects in Hidalgo Mexico website indicates the following about Thasus gigas:  “Xamues (Thasus gigas Burm.) (Hemiptera-Coreidae)  Thasus gigas live in the “mezquite” tree (Prosopis juliflora (S) DC), their only host, and are also known as the “mezquite worm”. The species was very abundant in this area, but now that a larger number of adults and larvae are gathered for sale rather than for personal consumption, the abundance of this species has declined. This species is univoltine, and it is collected in the spring [14]. Elderly people in the study area who eat this species, say that they can currently only find few specimens at a time, allowing a one to two month supply, while in the past they could gather enough to feed on for six months. They refer to this species as the “meat we eat”. This insect is greatly appreciated because of its sweet taste, which is rare in the rural areas. After they are gathered, the insects are dried on a griddle, stored in plastic mesh bags, and hung in the kitchen where they provide a daily meal.“  Additional searching leads us to believe that this may be Thasus acutangulus, based on the photo of an immature specimen on the Alex Wild Photography website.  There is also a photo on Flickr.

Posted 21 March 2010 § Leaf Footed Bugs ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged:

Toe-Biter from Argentina: death by trauma

Chinche Acuatica?
March 21, 2010
Fue hallada en zona del Río Quequén que separa la ciudad de Necochea con Quequén
38º 33′ 16′ 85 S
58º 43 41 95 w
Presumimos que se trata de una chinche acuática
Volaban mas de 10 por la zona
Bichos en Necochea
Necochea Buenos Aires Argentina

toebiter argentina carnage 300x195 Toe Biter from Argentina: death by trauma

Toe-Biter Carnage

Hola,
Perdona porque nuestro Espanol no esta bueno.  Su insecto esta una chinche acuatica.  Your insect is an aquatic bug or Giant Water Bug, also known as a Toe-Biter or Electric Light Bug. Alas, this appears to be unnecessary carnage.

Posted 21 March 2010 § Toe Biters and other Aquatic True Bugs ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: ,

Unknown Australian Darkling Beetle

March 20, 2010
HI Please can you tell me what type of beetle this is please, iv have only just started getting interested in
bug and insects I’m a cub scout leader so i would like to show the cubs all the pics i take and tel them
about the fly or bug thank you. The beetle was found at Joondalup lake.
many thanks
Stephanie Nolson

unknown click beetle australia 300x218 Unknown Australian Darkling Beetle

Unknown Darkling Beetle

Hi Stephanie,
Before we could even attempt to answer your question, we needed to research where on the planet Joondalup lake is found, and we now know that it is near Perth in Western Australia.  We thought your beetle looked like a Click Beetle in the family Elateridae, but it is shorter and stouter than most members of that family.  We found some images that are also unidentified on the Life Unseen website page of Australian Click Beetles.  We may be totally wrong, but that is our best guess at the moment.

Daniel:
Definitely a darkling beetle, family Tenebrionidae.  Beyond that I can’t help much, not being very familiar with the Australian fauna.  I will, however, happily accept a year or two sabbatical, expenses paid, to study the insects and arachnids there:-)
Eric

Posted 21 March 2010 § Darkling and Ironclad Beetles ‡ Comments (5) ° Tagged: ,

Oleander Hawkmoth from Israel

Is it an Oleander Hawk Moth?
March 19, 2010
I’ve spotted this cute looking moth at a playground, fortunately I happened to have my camera with me. It’s a rather large moth – I would say around 8-10 cm wingspan. Searching the web, I found it to resemble the Oleander Hawk Moth -

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/oleander_hawkmoth_india.jpg

only my fellow is yellow-brown rather than green. Can you help me identify it please?
Gal
Israel, Tel Aviv area

oleander hawkmoth israel gal 300x267 Oleander Hawkmoth from Israel

Oleander Hawkmoth

Hi Gal,
The markings on your moth sure look like those of the Oleander Hawkmoth, Daphnis nerii, but as you point out, the coloration is unusual.  We found a Sphingidae of Israel website that pictures an Oleander Hawkmoth, and nothing else pictured looks remotely similar.  The Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic website does show a more brown specimen, but it also depicts a closely related species on another page, Daphnis hypothous, that is brown.  The site indicates that a white  spot on the forewing apex identifies the latter species, and that spot is missing from your specimen.  We believe your specimen is a color variation of the Oleander Hawkmoth, but we will contact Bill Oehlke to verify that identification.

Posted 20 March 2010 § Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

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